Fluid coupling



July 6, 1948 E. M. ANDERSON ET AL 2,444,414

' FLUID coUPLING Filed Sept. 27, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

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July 6, 1948. E. M. ANDERSON ET AL 2,444,414

FLUID COUPLING Filed Sept. 27, 1946 2 1SheecS--Sheet 2 al m4 /06 54 l/ 94 m0 m2 92 W/gf a0 \v 96 Tlm. z/ I 92 Y a6 4 fr0 H 96 Ii "l I n4 n0 n2 f il,

a 7l INVENTOR.

MAW-H BY @M Patented July 6, 1948 FLUID ooUPLING l Eric Martin Anderson, Westbroolcand Beecher OlenKelso and Clarence Milton Ginn, Portland, Maine, assignors to Utilities Distributors, `Inc., acorporation of Maine Application september 27, 194s,se1ial No. 699,796

The present invention relates to improvements in fluid couplings, and more particularly toxan improved detachable valvecoupling unit 'adapted to be coupled to a nipple for the transfer ofla gaseous fluid under pressure through the coupling and associated nipplei l It is a principal obj-ect of theinvention to provide an improved valve-coupling unitwhich is of simple construction and is adapted to be quickly and rmly attached to any nipple .of standard type having aninternalscrew thread which would normally receive an externally threaded coupling member. It is another object of the invention to provide a novel gripping means for use ina Valvecoupling unit of the general type hereinl described, which is capable of being instantly expanded by the simple manipulation of a manually operable lever or other part into gripping and sealing engagement threaded bore of the nipple.

`It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel and improved valve-coupling unit including means forgripping the nipple to be Vcoupled and a valve assembly operable to permit the flow of the gaseous medium under pressure through the coupling, which is particularly constructed and arranged to provide an adequate seal between the movable andstationary parts of the valve unit and also between the parts to be coupled to avoid any possibilityof gas leakage either during use or upondisconnectingy of the unit.

The valve-coupling unit illustrated in 'the drawings as embodying in a preferred form'the several features of the invention,"comp`ris`es generally a cylindrical casing `or supporting body for the unit, a gripping and sealing device for firmly attaching and for sealing the coupling unit to a nipple, a shut-oh` valve, and a manual control element or lhandle `which acts when moved from' an off to an on position to perform in sequence the operations of attaching the coupling unit to the nipple, sealing the coupled partsso that'` any possibility of escape of gas is avoided,and finally of opening the valve to permit the unimpeded flow df gas through the coupling. Movement of the manual control element or lever to itsoi position is effective to perform in the reverse sequence the operations of shutting oifthe valve,

and thereafter of releasing amdunsealing the unit from the nipple. j

A feature of the invention `consistsin rthe provision of a novel and improved gripping'and sealing device which comprises an expandable with vthe internally 13 Claims. (Cl.l 284-18) 2 washer of rubber or similarly elastic material which is capable of being bulged outwardlyinto engagement with the internal' screw thread `of a standard nipple or tting. Since nipples .of this description are uniformly provided withan internally threaded connection of rstandard diameter, the gripping device of the present invention has the advantage thatit isreadily applied to all such nttings now in commercialuse regardless of external shape or design; The gripping and sealing device of the presentconstruction has the further advantage that it pro,- vides a rapid and extremely effective means` for sealing the coupled elements against 'anyv posvsible loss or leakage of gas while the coupling unit is' in use. p Another feature of the invention consistsfin the improved and substantially simplified con-- struction and operation of the unit wherein the functions of gripping and sealing the unit to a nipple and the function of opening the Valve are performed by means of axially shiftable control sleeves which are in turn operated from fa manuf ally operable control element or lever `to per form the several operations in the' desir-odisequence, n With the above noted and other objects in view as may hereinafter appear, the several flealtures of the invention consist also in the devices, combinations and arrangement of parts heref inafter described and claimed, 4which together with the advantages to be obtained thereby will bereadilyunderstood by" one skilled in the art from the following description tal-Ien in connection with the drawings, in which Fig,` 1` is view in side elevation of a `valvecoupling unit embodying in a preferred form thef `several features `of the invention; Fig. Zwis an efrifd View of the valye illustrated inFig. 1, lookingffrorn theleftj` Fig. `3 is a mid-'sectional `plan "view of. the valves-coupling unit shown in Fig. 1, with the handle in its retracted inoperativey or closed position; Fig 4' is a fragmentary viewin,` side elevation partly in section, to illustrate particu# iarl'ythe operating cams for, actuating the expandable gripping means tosecure agripping and sealing engagement of lthe unit withthe nipple to be coupled, and forfcontrolling theposition of the shut-off valve` withnnrthe unit, the

parts being in the positions` shov/nin Fig. 3; Fig.'` 5 is a mid-sectional plan view similar to Fig, 3, but with the parts shown in the operativejon o r open position of the valve-couplingunitpFig. 6 is' a fragmentary View in side elevation` similar j to Fig. 3, but illustrating the position of the cams for the operative on or open position of the valve-coupling unit as shown in Fig. 5; Fig. 'I is a mid-sectional plan view of the valve-coupling unit illustrating an alternative construction of the unit in which cam means are provided which operate positively in both directions to move the shut-off valve. assembly between its closed rand open positions; Fig. 8 is `a sectional view taken on the line 8--8 of Fig. 7, illustrating particularly the construction and arrangement of the operating cams and associated parts; and Fig. 9 is a detail view of one of the two identical operating cams `employed in the construction s-hown in Figs. '7y and 8.

Referring to the drawings, Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, illustrate one form of valve-coupling unit em- The unit comprises a cylindrical casing Ill which is formed at its forward end with an inwardly extending flange screw-threaded to receive 'a tu- 4bular extension I2v of small diameter. A ring lbodying the several features of the invention.

coupled, comprises a nipple gripping collar I6 sleeved on the extension I2 and abutting at its forward end against the ring member i4. The collar |56 is formed of an elastic material which is preferably rubber, although other materials having similarqualities Lof elasticity, toughness and resistance to erosion by action of the gas may .be employed, so that the collar when compressed endwise will bulge outwardly. It willbe understood that while rubber is preferred as a material for the collar, other'materials such as synthetic rubber having similar qualities of elasticity, toughness and resistance to erosion by action of the gas may be employed. The collar HS is arranged to be acted upon by means of an axially Ashiftable gripper `control sleeve I8 having one end thereof of relativelysmall diameter sleeved on the tubular extension I2, and the other end thereof of larger diametersleevedto the outer periphery of the cylindrical casing Il). .l Axial movement' of the sleeve I8 from the inoperative off position shown .in Fig. 3 leftwardly to the operative on or gripping position shown in Fig. 5, causes the collar I6 to ybe compressed axially against the flanged member I4, so that it is bulged outwardly .into a tight `fitting engagement with the internal .screw threadsL of a nipple 22 as generally indicatedin Fig. 5. The gripping mechanism above described including the expandable collai` I6 provides a simple and extremely powerful means for lc oupling the valveunit to the nipple, and is capable of resisting very substantial pressures Without showing any tendency toward breakdown of the coupling. The collar I6 when expanded into engagement with the screw-threaded nipple yso projection I2 of the housing Il), and with a stem 3l which projects rearwardly through a perforated disk 34 mounted `within the member 24. The valve member 28 is normally held against its seat by means of a compression springg32 which is coiled about the valve stem 3I and is engaged at oneend against a shoulder formed on the valve stem 33 `and at its other end against the perforated disk `34. In order to maintain a gastight iit between the cylindrical gas conduit member 24 of the valve assembly and the housing I0, an annular groove 36 is formed in the internal periphery of the housing I to receive a rubber ring 38. Movement of the gas conduit member 24 `in either direction tends to force the rubber ring against one or the other of the sloping sides of the groove to maintain a gas-tight seal between these parts.

The position of the cylindrical gas conduit member 24 is controlled by means of a valve control sleeve 42 which is integrally connected at its rear end to the member 24, and is arranged for sliding engagement with the housing I0. A heavy compression spring 44 coiled about the member 24 between the iianged rear end of the valve control sleeve 42 and a relatively stationary cap 45 tends to move the valve seat supporting memlber 24 and associated parts in a forward direction to open the valve. The cap 45 is screwthreadedI to the rear end of a cylindrical cover 46 which forms the outside for the unit.

The mechanism for controlling the operation fof the valve-coupling unit, comprises a bifurcated handlever 48 which is mounted to turn upon two short shafts or trunnions 50, `52 mounted onra corn-mon transverse axis, and at their inner ends supported in bearings or seats 54, 56 formed in two recesses or flats located diametrically oppo- .site one another in the side walls of the'housing I8. The trunnions 50, 52 are further supported by means of disks 58, ,till which are fitted respectively into holes fonmed in the outer or cover casing 46, so that the housing I8 and the outer cover 46 are rigidly connected together to form the body portion of the valve-coupling unit. The trunnions 5U, 52 'have mounted thereon identical cams, each of which comprises an expanding gripper sleeve actuating cam segment 62 and a valve sleeve control. segment 54. The operation of the valve-coupling unit is briefly as follows: For the fully retracted offr position of the hand lever 48 4and cam segments 62, 64 illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, the gripper actuated sleeve I8 is permitted to be in its fully retractedposition to which it is moved by the pressure exerted by the elasti-c collar I6.

For this position of the parts, the valve control serves also to provide :a gas-tight seal between Ythe unit casing and the extension l2 on the one hand and the nipple to be coupled on the other hand.

The shut-off valve mechanism provided with the coupling unit shown in Figs. 1 to 6, comprises a cylindrical gas conduit member 24 which projects withinthe casing VI Il and is arranged to slide relatively thereto. vAt its forward. end the member H24 is formed with an inwardly extending flange which provides support for ian annular valve seat 26. g Cooperating with the seat supporting gas conduit member 24 is a valve member 28 which is formed with a corrugated extension 30 which projects forwardly lthrough the tubular .sleeve 42 yis held in its fully retracted position against the pressure of the spring 44 so that the valve 28 and seat 25 are engaged to close the valve 28. With the parts in the condition described, the nose of the unit including the expandable collar I6 is inserted within the screw thread opening of the nipple to be coupled designated at 22 in Fig. 5. When the hand lever 48 is now moved to the operative on position of Figs. 5 and 6, the cam 62 first acts to advance the gripper actuating sleeve I8 to compress longitudinally and thereby to expand radially the gripper collar I6, which is thus brought firmly into engagement with the internal threads of the cooperating nipple 22, firmly coupling the unit to the nipple, and at the same time providing an effective seal to prevent the escape of gas. The operation of coupling and sealing the unit to the nipple will have been completed by the time the hand lever 48 is moved apfluence of spring pressure 32 and the pressure of the gas until the extension of the valve member 28 comes into contact with an adjacent interior portion of the nipple 22. The continued advance of the valve control sleeve 42 and seat supporting conduit member 2d as the hand lever 48 is moved to its fully extended on position of Fig. 5, now causes the `seat 26 to ride away from the ob. structed valve member 28 to open the valve. It will be understood that the moving o'f handle i8 to the on position is effective to open the valve and permit l the escape of `gas therefrom only in the event that the unit has been placed in position against the `nipple prior to the manipulation of the hand lever, since otherwise, in the absence of any obstructions to the forward'movement of the corrugated extension 30 and valve member 28, the valve member 28 Will remain in its closed position in engagement with its seat 26.

Figs. '7, 8 and 9 of t'he drawings, illustrate an alternative form of the valveacoupling unit in which the .operating calms associated with the hand lever 48 are arranged to move the shutol`: valve positively in both directions, lorwardly to its` extended open position and rearwardly to its retracted closed position. With this for-m of the i device, the heavy compression spring lli has been eliminated, and 'a substantially smoother and easier operation of the hand lever has been made possible. The construction illustrated in Figs. '7, 3

and 9, comprises specillcally a cylindrical casing f lll having its external diam-eter reduced along a portion of itslength and at its forward end a small diameter tubular extension lli, to the outer end of which is screw-threaded a ring member T8.

An expandable rubber collar mounted` on the extension 'I6 in abutting relation to the member 18 is arranged to be acted upon by a gripper control sl'eevc 82 having a forward end of reduced diameter slidably fitted over the extension 16 for 4engagement with the washer 80, and a rear portion of larger diameter to t over the reduced for- Iwardend portion of the cylindrical casing 14.

The enlarged portion of the sleeve 82 is cut away along a portion ci its outer diameter to provide a thin-walled rearward extension 84. l

The valve mechanism employed `with this form of the device, comprises .a valve seat supporting sleeve member 8S, a seat 88, and a valve member having a corrugated forward extension 92 which projects through the sleeve extension 16, and which is yieldably seated by means of a, com. pression spring 94 engaged at one end against the valve member 90 and lat its other end against the abutting end of a sleeve connection 95 between the sleeve 86 and the inlet housing or pipe to the coupling device. The sleeve member 86 is arranged to be actuated by means of a control sleeve Elli connected at its inwardly flanged rear end tothe sleeve 86 between .a'shoulder |00 on the sleeve 86 anda screw-threaded collary 102 .so that thev control sleeve 98 moves `axially as a unit with the sleeve 8,6. In this form of the device the valve control sleeve 9B is extended forwardly to overlap the rearward extension B4 of the gripper control sleeve 82,

. of said `element to open vthe valve,

`The hand lever Voperated connections `for con. trolling the position of the valve shown in Figs. 7,18 and 9, comprisestwo trunnions m4, |05 which are screw-threaded into bearing lugs formed in opposite sides ofthe casing member 74, and which have pivotally supported on theouter ends thereof thebifurcated ends of a hand lever m6. Each of these trunnions has mounted thereon a cam block H0 as shown in Fig. 9, which is secured to the respective arm of handlever |06, and is provided with two cam surfaces H2, H4 for controlling respectively the position of the gripper com trol sleeve 82 and the valve control sleeve 98. The cam surface H2 is arranged for engagement with the end of the reduced sleeve extension 84 of the gripper control sleeve 82. Each cam surface H4 is arranged for engagement within a slot formed in the control sleeve 98, so that rota, tion of the hand lever l [I6 andcams has the eeot of moving the valve control sleeve 98v fromoneto the other of its fully: retractedA and advanced positions.` The construction and arrangement of the cams is such thatthe movement of thehand lever |06 midway from its retracted position has the effect of engaging the cam surface l l2 against the sleeve extension 84 so that the gripper control sleeve 82 is advanced to compress andthereby to bulge outwardly the rubber washer 80. During continued movement of the hand `leverllll from its intermediate to its extreme `forward. position, the cam H4 becomes operative `to shift the valve control sleeve 98 to its forward position to openthe valve. Conversely, the movement of the hand lever |06 mldwayfrom its on t0 its off position is eiective to positively retract the valve control sleeve 98, to shutol the valve, and contin-A ued movement to the off position thereafter to permit a rearward movement of the gripper control sleeve 82 to release and to unseal the unit from the nipple.

The invention having been described, what. is claimed is:

l. A detachable fluid valvewoupling unit havlng, in combination, a housing, an expandable .Y gripper carried by the housing for Agripping 1engagement with the internal periphery of them-p ple to be coupled, a device for expanding said gripper, a fluid shut-off valve in the housing, a manually operable control element` movable be tween an oi .and an on position, and means rendered operative by `movement of said element for expanding the gripper to grip the nipple `and to open the valve.

.2. A detachable fluid valve-coupling unit hav.

ing, in combination. a housing, an expandable gripper carried by the housing for gripping `ensagement with .the internal periphery of the nip.-` Dle to be coupled, a device for expanding said gripper, a fluid shut-oil valve in the housings4 manually operable control element movable between an oil and an on position, means renderednperative by movement of said element for expanding the gripper to grip the nipple, and means rendered operative by a further movement 3. A detachable fluid valve-coupling unit 11a-ving, in combination, a housing, an` expandable gripper carried by the housing for gripping en.-` gagement with the internal periphery of the nip,- ple to be coupled, a device for expanding,` said gripper, a uid shut-oir valve in the housing, a manually operable control element movable between an off and an on position, a cam and follower connection rendered operative by moveo ment of said element for expanding said gripper to -grip 'the nipple, and a second 'cam andfollower kconnection renderedoperative bythe continued movement of said "element to open the valve. v j 4. A detachable fluid valve-coupling unit having, in combination, a housing, an expandable gripper comprising a tubular 'fluid conduit meinber; a gripper of resilient materiall carried on said conduit memberadapted to form a gas-tight seal in gripping engagement With' the 'internal periphery of a nipple to be coupled, a fluid shutoif valve in the housing', and means under the control of the operator to expand the gripper to grip the nipple and to open the valve.

"5. A detachable fluid valve-coupling unit having, in combination, a housing, an expandable gripper comprising a gripper of resilient material adapted to form a gas seal in gripping engagement with the internal periphery of the nipple, a valve assembly comprising valve and seating members shi-ftable longitudinally within the housing, means for yieldably maintaining saidr members in a relatively closed position, 'a manually operable'control element movable between an off and an on positionmeans rendered'operative bymovement of said element for expanding said gripper and for moving said valve assembly forwardly in the housing, and anextension movable with said valve assembly adapted to be arrested lby engagementfwith said nipple to be coupled to open the valve.

6. A detachable valve-coupling unit having, in Combination, a housing, gripping means carried by the housing for gripping engagement with the nipple to becoupled Comprising a tubular extension -of said housing arranged to extend within the nipple to be coupled',` a Washer of elastic material-adapted to bei radially expanded on said tubular extension,` a' member shiftable axially on said tubular extension for compressing the washer endwise to eiect radial expansion of th'e Washer into gripping engagement with the internal periphery ofthe nipple, a shut-off valve in the housing', a manually operable control element movable between oi and on positions, and means actuated by movement of said element to move said Washer expanding member to grip the nipple and means actuated by the continuedv movement of said element to ropen the valve. 7. Adetachable valve-coupling unit having, in combination, a housing, gripping means carried by the housing for gripping engagementl with the nipple to be coupled comprising atubular exten# sion oi said housing larranged to extend within the nipple to be coupled, a Washer of elastic material adapted to be radially expanded on said tubular extension, a member'shiftable axially on said tubular extension for compressing the washer endwise to eiect radial expansion of the washer into gripping engagement with the internal Vperiphery of the nipple, a shut-off valve in the housing, and a manually operable control elementvmovable between off and on positions to grip the nipple and'open the valve.

8. A detachable valve-coupling unit having, in combination', a housing,` gripping means carried by the housing for gripping engagement with the nipple to be coupled comprising a tubular exten-- sion of said housing arranged to extend within the nipple to be coupled, a washer of elastic material adapted to be radially expanded on said tubular extension, 'and a sleeve element shiitable axiallyk on said tubular extension to compress said .washer endwise in order to expand said Washer radially against-the internal periphery to be coupled, a Washer of elastic material adapted to be radially expanded on said tubular extension, a sleeve member shftable to compre-ss and thereby to expand said washer against the inner terminal periphery of the nipple, a valve assembly comprising a valve member, and a valve seat supporting fluid conduit member movable longitudinally within the said housing, one of said members having a forward extension arranged to be projected against the nipple, mean-s arranged to act on the other of said members to advance said assembly to engage said forward extension against the nipple and thereafter to open the valve, spring means acting to relatively movesaid members to close the valve, and a hand lever shiftable from one to another position to actuate said gripping mean-s and thereafter to open the valve.

l0. A detachable valve-coupling unit having, in combination, a cylindrical housing, an expandable gripper carried by the housing arranged to be expanded into gripping engagement with the internal periphery of the nipple to be coupled, a valve assembly comprising valve and seating elements shiftable axially of Ithe housing, a gripper control sleeve shiftable axially of the housing, a valve control sleeve shiftable axially of the housing, a control element rotatable on a transverse axis in said housing, and means rendered operative by rotation of said control element to control the axial position of each of said sleeves.

1l. A detachable valve-coupling unit having, in combination, a cylindrical housing, a tubular extension of said housing arranged toextend within the nipple to be coupled, a Washer of elastic material adapted to be radially 'expanded' on said tubular extension, an element sleeved on said extension axially shiftable to compress the washer endwise in order to expand the washer radially against the internal periphery of the nipple, a valve assembly in the housing comprising a tubular iluid conduit defining member axially shiftable in the housing, and formed at its forward end with a valve seat, a cooperating tubular valve member having a stem projecting through said tubular' extension of Vthe housing, spring means for maintaining said conduit defining member and valve member in a relatively extended position inV which the valve is closed, cam means acting on said conduit defining member for controlling the position thereof axially in the housing, means under the control of the operator for advancing said washer expanding member to grip the nipple, and means under the control of the operator `operable thereafter for advancing said conduit dening member to engage said extended valve stem against an obstructing portion of the nipple and thereafter to open the valve.

12. A detachable valve-coupling unit having, in combination, a cylindrical housing,la tubular extension of said housing arranged to extend within the nipple to be coupled, a washer of elastic material adapted to be radially expanded on said `tubular extension, a gripper control sleeve on said housing axially shiftable to compres-s the washer endwise in order to expand the washer radially against the internal periphery of the nipple, a Valve assembly comprising valve and seating members shiftable longitudinally Within the housing, spring means for yieldably maintaining said members in a relatively closed position, a valve control sleeve on the housing axially shiftable to move the valve assembly forwardly in the housing, an extension movable with said valve assembly adapted to be arrested by engagement with the nipple to be coupled to open the valve, a manually operable control member rotatable on a transverse axis on said housing, and cam means actuated thereby for shifting said control sleeves to expand said washer to grip the nipple and thereafter to advance said valve assembly.

13. A detachable valve-coupling unit having, in combination, a cylindrical housing, a tubular extension of said housing arranged to extend Within the nipple to be coupled, a washer of elastic material adapted to be radially expanded on said tubular extension, a gripper control sleeve on said housing axially shifltable to compress the Washer endwise in order to expand the washer radially against the internal periphery of the nipple, a

valve assembly comprising a tubular fluid conduit defining valve seating member axially shiftable within the housing, a valve member seated therein having an extension arranged to project through said tubular extension of the housing, spring means for seating said valve member, an axially shiftable valve control sleeve on the housing connected to move said tubular fluid conduit dening valve seating member therewith, a manually operable control member rotatable on a transverse axis on said housing, and a gripper control sleeve actua/ting cam and a valve control sleeve actuating cam rotatable with the control member on said transverse axis.

ERIC MARTIN ANDERSON.

BEECI-IER OLEN KELSO.

CLARENCE MILTON GINN.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Welstead Feb. 28, 1899 Number 

